Four undergraduate students were selected as recipients of the Darrell J. Nelson Summer Undergraduate Internship in Energy Sciences Research for the summer of 2020.  The four recipients and their supervising faculty members are:  Garrett Beard (Craig Zuhlke, Department Electrical and Computer Engineering),  Jackson Goddard (Shudipto Dishari, Department of Chemical Engineering), Theresa Guss (Bruce Dvorak, Department of Civil Engineering), and Zoe Marzouk (Peter Dowben, Department of physics and astronomy).  The internship is named after Mr. Darrell J. Nelson, who served 41 years on the Custer County Public Power District and Nebraska Public Power (NPPD) Boards.  Continue reading →

The Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research is seeking innovative energy sciences research and collaboration ideas from University of Nebraska faculty.  The Request for Proposals was released March 31, 2020. This is the fifteenth annual cycle in which UNL faculty can compete in this internal competition for energy research grants  These grants are considered seed funding to help UNL faculty develop energy-related research capacity and improve their competitiveness for external funding.  Funding for this opportunity is made possible through an investment in energy sciences research by the Nebraska Public Power District.  Preproposals are due May 22, 2020 by 5:00 p.m.  Full proposals will be by invitation. NCESR Cycle 15 RFP

Four new research projects were selected for funding by the Energy Center in its fourteenth annual grant competition.  The faculty selected for the awards were Professors Wei Qiao, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Shudipto Dishari, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering; Chris Cornelius, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; and Ozan Ciftci, Department of Food Science and Technology.  To learn more go to 2020/2021 Energy Research Grants (Cycle 14) 

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln employment opportunity for the director of the Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research was posted December 4, 2019.  If you are interested in applying for the position, go to https://employment.unl.edu/postings/67479

The Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research (NCESR) is taking applications for the summer undergraduate internship in energy sciences research. The Darrell J. Nelson Summer Undergraduate Internship in Energy Sciences Research is being offered for the seventh time in the amount up to $5,000 per recipient for the summer of 2020. For additional information about the 2019 application requirements, click here:  2020 NCESR Summer Internship Info Sheet  For a copy of the application form (Word document),  click here:  NCESR Summer Undergraduate Internship – 2020 Application Form. To learn more about previous summer undergraduate internship projects, go to http://ncesr.unl.edu/?page_id=9451

In 2012, Alexander Sinitskii was awarded an Energy Center grant for his project entitled  “Three-Dimensional Graphene-Based Scaffolds for Supercapacitor Applications”.  This seed grant has led to the awarding of a three-year, $4.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Naval Research.  Dr. Sinitskii, associate professor of chemistry, will lead a multi-institution research team investigating ways to incorporate DNA nanotechnology as a construction tool to assemble graphene in new ways that could make the material more useful in electronic devices and other applications. To learn more about the research, go to  Alexander Sinitskii award.

Jerry Hudgins

Jerry Hudgins, professor and chair of electrical and computer engineering, has been named interim director of the Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research, effective Aug. 19. Hudgins has been the center’s associate director since 2009 and previously served as the center’s interim director in 2011.

Hudgins will succeed director Mike Nastasi, the Elmer Koch Professor of mechanical and materials engineering, who has led the center since 2012. Nastasi is leaving Nebraska to become head of Texas A&M University’s Department of Nuclear Engineering.

Hudgins will be responsible for leading the center and facilitating its research, operations and resource development activities during his appointment. He also will assist with the national search for a permanent director, expected to begin this fall. Hudgins will remain department chair while serving in this role.  (News release from Office of Research and Economic Development)

Abdelrahman with award certificate

Abdelrahman Elsayed, one of the 2019 summer interns, won 2nd place in the undergraduate research competition at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Congress International Undergraduate Research Exposition. Abdelrahman’s faculty sponsor is Professor Yuris Dzenis from the Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department.  To view Abdelrahman’s poster, click 2019IMECE-AElsayed_sm

September 12, 2019

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) today announced two new Requests for Applications (RFAs) for the Integrated University Program (IUP) seeking applicants for undergraduate scholarships and graduate-level fellowships in nuclear energy-related fields.

Scholarships are $7,500 for one year. The maximum award for a fellowship is $52,000 per year for three years, with an additional one-time $5,000 allotment to fund travel to a minimum 10-week internship at DOE, a DOE national laboratory or other designated facility.

Applications are due on January 16, 2020 and must be submitted using the online submittal system found at neup.gov. NE intends to notify award recipients in spring 2020.

FY 2019 Scholarship RFA

FY 2019 Fellowship RFA